The other day I was searching for something on google, I think it was like for a battery or something and I ran into a discussion thread that went for like 500 pages. Some black girl wanted to know why white guys never asked her out because she felt more attracted to white guys than black guys, and some people gave the typical "white guys are intimidated by black women" comment. It soon got into a racial argument, and some ignorant person get's on there and says "the way nature intended it is for people to be with their color, whites with whites, blacks with blacks, brown with brown, you don't see blue birds matings with eagles do you?".

I started thinking..... where do people with these radical feelings get their beliefs from? I really wonder what these people are taught or told, or have experienced to think such a radically ridiculous thing. Then I start to wonder, is it some kind of insecurity? Is it jealously because all they can score are hairy white hicks like themselves(sorry for the generalization). What mentally causes a person to feel such hate towards a couple exersizing their personal preferences to be with eachother regardless of the shade of their skin.

It's simple. They were taught it.
I live in a state where many people are what I call, closet racists. They do it with subtlety.
I'm half Asian and by being half Asian, was the only "minority" in my neighborhood for the longest time. My wife is Caucasian and so our daughters look mostly Caucasian and we are members of the predominant church here so I really haven't noticed any racism towards me or my family. What I do notice is that when a Hispanic family moved in to our neighborhood, the only other minorities besides me now, neighbors on both sides of them put their house up for sale. Our daughters are the only kids in the neighborhood that play with their kids. It's too bad. The father and mother of the home are awesome people.

__________________"Real wars of words are harder to win. They require thought, insight, precision, articulation, knowledge, and experience. They require the humility to admit when you are wrong. They recognize that the dialectic is not about making us look at you, but about us all looking together for the truth."

Location: My response would have been something along the lines of: "Does your bike have computer controlled suspension? Then shut your piehole, this baby is from the future!"

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Originally Posted by JF1

It's simple. They were taught it.
I live in a state where many people are what I call, closet racists. They do it with subtlety.
I'm half Asian and by being half Asian, was the only "minority" in my neighborhood for the longest time. My wife is Caucasian and so our daughters look mostly Caucasian and we are members of the predominant church here so I really haven't noticed any racism towards me or my family. What I do notice is that when a Hispanic family moved in to our neighborhood, the only other minorities besides me now, neighbors on both sides of them put their house up for sale. Our daughters are the only kids in the neighborhood that play with their kids. It's too bad. The father and mother of the home are awesome people.

If it were me that moved in Id buy both houses and sell them cheap to good family members! Then the other neighbors would sell and so on! and so on! Hahahahahahahahaha! Viva Puerto Rico! Hahahahaha!

__________________You see, their morals, their code...it's a bad joke, dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these...These "civilized" people...they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve

Saying "they were taught" kind of begs the ultimate question, though. At some point back in the dark recesses of history, somebody (or multiple somebosies) had to have come up with racial biases without someone teaching them. So where did it ultimately begin?

FWIW (and it ain't much), my sense is that racial bigotry has a major part of its origins in fear of the new, the different, the unknown. It is a fairly common human reaction to fear that with which we are not familiar. It is also not uncommon for people to demonize that which they fear. So it's not too big a leap from "that person looks/acts/speaks/worships in a way with which I am not familiar" to "that person is bad/inferior/evil/to be shunned."

I don't claim that this is all of what's going on. And to the extent this hypothesis is correct, I certainly do not believe that it justifies continued bigotry - we should be using our brains to overcome pointless fears, not wallow in them. I also do not believe that just because fear-based discrimintation appears to be a common human reaction means that we should just shrug our shoulders and accept it. But it does mean that overcoming such biases is likely to be a ongoing issue that folks will be wrestling with long after we have all become fertilizer.

Location: My response would have been something along the lines of: "Does your bike have computer controlled suspension? Then shut your piehole, this baby is from the future!"

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Originally Posted by bikingshearer

Saying "they were taught" kind of begs the ultimate question, though. At some point back in the dark recesses of history, somebody (or multiple somebosies) had to have come up with racial biases without someone teaching them. So where did it ultimately begin?

FWIW (and it ain't much), my sense is that racial bigotry has a major part of its origins in fear of the new, the different, the unknown. It is a fairly common human reaction to fear that with which we are not familiar. It is also not uncommon for people to demonize that which they fear. So it's not too big a leap from "that person looks/acts/speaks/worships in a way with which I am not familiar" to "that person is bad/inferior/evil/to be shunned."

I don't claim that this is all of what's going on. And to the extent this hypothesis is correct, I certainly do not believe that it justifies continued bigotry - we should be using our brains to overcome pointless fears, not wallow in them. I also do not believe that just because fear-based discrimintation appears to be a common human reaction means that we should just shrug our shoulders and accept it. But it does mean that overcoming such biases is likely to be a ongoing issue that folks will be wrestling with long after we have all become fertilizer.

The sad thing is that it will NEVER end We (all races) can interbreed till we all look exactly the same, I guaranty some one will say,"Ever notice the whoever family? they sound, different!" or "Look at them! I hate they way they walk!" or some other stupid ****!

__________________You see, their morals, their code...it's a bad joke, dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these...These "civilized" people...they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve

FWIW (and it ain't much), my sense is that racial bigotry has a major part of its origins in fear of the new, the different, the unknown. It is a fairly common human reaction to fear that with which we are not familiar. It is also not uncommon for people to demonize that which they fear. So it's not too big a leap from "that person looks/acts/speaks/worships in a way with which I am not familiar" to "that person is bad/inferior/evil/to be shunned."

I think in the beginning it wasn't about fear, but about who it is OK to exploit and who it is not OK to exploit. Different skin color or language or religion made someone not a part of our group, therefore it was OK to exploit them. Over time, fear and contempt develop as people need a better reason than "they're different" to justify exploitation.

Saying "they were taught" kind of begs the ultimate question, though. At some point back in the dark recesses of history, somebody (or multiple somebosies) had to have come up with racial biases without someone teaching them. So where did it ultimately begin?

FWIW (and it ain't much), my sense is that racial bigotry has a major part of its origins in fear of the new, the different, the unknown. It is a fairly common human reaction to fear that with which we are not familiar. It is also not uncommon for people to demonize that which they fear. So it's not too big a leap from "that person looks/acts/speaks/worships in a way with which I am not familiar" to "that person is bad/inferior/evil/to be shunned."

I don't think this is true. At bottom I think these patterns of behavior emerged from the need to exploit others.

When Columbus arrived in the new world, the Arawaks greeted him with open arms. However, if you are Columbus and need to show a return to the queen who funded your voyage of exploration, it is in your best interest to see the Arawak Indians as sub human. Otherwise it is difficult to justify working them all to death.

In the south, plantation owners realized that poor whites and blacks were actually getting along a bit too well. Hence they outlawed interracial marriages and extended more rights and privileges to white indentured servants and enlisted them as partners in exploiting the labor of sub-human black slaves as a way of heading off a disastrous class conflict.

I could go on, but the point is that there is not some innate fear of one another at work here. It is rather the case that it is difficult to ruthlessly exploit others if you see them as being equally human, so you willfully ignore their humanity and reclassify them as animals.

I like black girls, It doesn't matter what anyone thinks of me.. I dated a black girl before, I don't like the "black speak" or extra large rear ends, but she didn't have either. I never brought her to meet my mother though, so I guess there was some friction there.

My take: Humans are social creatures and need to find groups to identify with. Beyond family, we identify with people with whom we have something in common, the core of which is language and culture. My understanding is that when there were waves of Irish and Italian immigrants, they were hated because they were seen as foreign cultures and a threat to neighborhoods and jobs. It wasn't about race. But with blacks and the Chinese that were imported to build the railroads, well you could spot 'em a mile away, it was much easier to see them as being "too different." I still assert it's actually about culture: you see a face of a different race and assume that person's culture is too different to relate to. I believe there are actually very few true racists. What is much more common are people who are uncomfortable interacting with people of another culture, because they grew up in a community that taught them to be fearful. My example: In college (in Berkeley) I knew a guy who was a white guy from the deep south. He said he grew up in a community where everyone told jokes about blacks, and while he may have interacted occasionally with blacks, he never actually got to know anyone who was black until he went to VMI for undergrad. The military style training forced him to form relationships with people he wouldn't have otherwise, and he discovered that the blacks he worked with and formed friendships with were no different than anyone else. He was pretty disappointed at how his childhood community trained him to be incredibly prejudiced. So I think for most it's about lack of exposure to other cultures, and communities which basically breed fear of people who are different.

I love being in a cool place like the Bay Area. I went to this Japanese restaurant a while back that was in a Chinese shopping complex in Cupertino. All the employees and all the customers were Chinese. I thought that was hilarious. Years ago I worked in a company owned by a Jordanian dude. A lot of the employees were Arabs from various countries (Jordan, Libya, Egypt, Iraq). I loved how one minute they would argue heatedly with one another, arms gesticulating wildly, faces turning red, then the next minute they would be perfectly calm and going on to the next thing. People are fun and interesting! To those communities which teach their children to be fearful: Your loss.

I could go on, but the point is that there is not some innate fear of one another at work here. It is rather the case that it is difficult to ruthlessly exploit others if you see them as being equally human, so you willfully ignore their humanity and reclassify them as animals.

Especially if your religion allows you to debate whether or not people of a different 'race', or different sex, have souls. Because if they don't, you can happily use those people for your own gain.

East Hill

__________________
___________________________________________________TRY EMPATHY & HAVE LOVE IN YOUR HEART, PERHAPS I'LL SEE YOU ON THE ROAD...

I could go on, but the point is that there is not some innate fear of one another at work here. It is rather the case that it is difficult to ruthlessly exploit others if you see them as being equally human, so you willfully ignore their humanity and reclassify them as animals.

The fear is that the "power" one has over another may diminish, weather it be because of the acknowledgment of their humanity or a realization of self doubt.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buddha

We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.

Quote:

Originally Posted by making

Please dont outsmart the censor. That is a very expensive censor and every time one of you guys outsmart it it makes someone at the home office feel bad. We dont wanna do that. So dont cleverly disguise bad words.

We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.

Quote:

Originally Posted by making

Please dont outsmart the censor. That is a very expensive censor and every time one of you guys outsmart it it makes someone at the home office feel bad. We dont wanna do that. So dont cleverly disguise bad words.

I never brought her to meet my mother though, so I guess there was some friction there.

I've dated outside my race and I've more than a few racist family members. My solution was to stop talking to them. My parents are bigoted to some degree but they are aware of the fact that they are backward and fall in line easily enough.

What mentally causes a person to feel such hate towards a couple exersizing their personal preferences to be with eachother regardless of the shade of their skin.

Oh by the way, Jon? Even though pink is a shade of skin, it's not a race.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buddha

We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.

Quote:

Originally Posted by making

Please dont outsmart the censor. That is a very expensive censor and every time one of you guys outsmart it it makes someone at the home office feel bad. We dont wanna do that. So dont cleverly disguise bad words.